Grading

All weekly projects are "turned in" when they are posted to your web site (exceptions of course are written assignments or storyboards). Written projects are due at the beginning of class in the appropriate format. Unit projects and the final T284 site will have due dates and times listed on the class schedule. No credit will be given for late assignments.
Grade records will be maintained using Oncourse. Understand that Oncourse is used for reporting scores on individual assignments; NOT official final grades.

Web site journal (10@2 points/10%)
Every designer studies the ideas and creations of others. You will maintain an online journal of the web sites you visit. Every week you must make an entry with a written critique of one web site you've visited that week. To encourage variety in the sites you review I will provide a theme. Find a site that fits the current week's theme and use it for your critique.

Site critiques should consist of at least 3 to 4 paragraphs and touch on the topics we've covered in class throughout the semester. Which aspects of the site are successful? Which are not? How does the site communicate? How well does it represent the person, group, company, or organization it stands for? What techniques does it use that you can borrow or modify in designs of your own? Think about these kinds of questions as you evaluate each web site. Journal entries will be posted to your T284 site and must be turned in by 10 PM the night before lecture. Be sure that each journal entry contains a link to the site you discuss—entries without links will be marked down.

Quizzes (10@2 points/10%)
Weekly quizzes will cover material from the previous week's class readings and lecture topics. Make-up quizzes are only offered in cases of illness or emergency.

Weekly design assignments (10@2 points/10%)
XHTML mark-up, graphics, animation, JavaScript, CSS, audio, etc.
Weekly design assignments must be posted and linked by 10 PM Tuesday night before lab class. An assignment is not complete unless it is linked from your T284 "home page"(index.html in your T284 directory). No passing grade will be given if all design assignments are not completed and handed in. Late design assignments will be checked off at no credit (earns a 0). Students are expected to have all of their weekly assignments completed by 10 pm on the Friday before finals week. It is each student's responsibility to confirm that all weekly assignments have been received by their AI and entered into the Oncourse gradebook with a point total between 0 and 2.

Your T284 web site (30 points/15%)
Each student will maintain a web site that links to every assignment and project they do for the class. At the end of the term, students will be graded on a working critique, the overall design, and final usability of this site.

Participation & "Question of the Week" (20 points/10%)
Participation is essential in this class and goes far beyond your attendance record. It is a combination of your involvement in daily discussions, in-class critiques, your overall effort in the class, and your "Question of the Week" (QotW). Every week before your lab section you will prepare a question related to the material we've recently discussed in lecture or lab, a web site critiqued in a journal entry, or anything else that is timely and relevant to the course. QotWs are to be posted to your Mercury account, and will be used as a basis for discussions in lab.

Unit projects (6@15 points/45% total)
There are six unit projects that you will complete this semester one for each major topic we cover in lab. You are responsible for finding and completing a tutorial from the Lynda.com library for projects 1, 2, 3 & 5 (projects 4 & 6 are unique and will be treated separately). The purpose of this is for you to be engaged in a process that teaches you how to be resourceful and learn new material independently. This kind of resourcefulness is absolutely essential for people who deal in interactive media design; thus it is a core component of the course. Your instructor and AI can help guide you in the process, however the final responsibility for choosing each tutorial is in your hands.
Unit 1 (XHTML/CSS): Tutorial on XHTML and/or CSS styles, limited to the following topics:
• Design & layout with CSS positioning (CSS/XHTML)
• Menus (CSS/XHTML)
• Forms (XHTML)
• Lists (XHTML)
Unit 2 (Web Graphics): Tutorial using Adobe Photoshop
Unit 3 (Web Animation): Tutorial using Adobe Flash
Unit 4 (Audio for Interactive Media): Project using Soundtrack Pro
Unit 5 (Web Programming): Tutorial on JavaScript
Unit 6 (Usability): Usability test and report. Requirements for the project are listed here.
See the syllabus resources page for instructions to access the Lynda.com tutorials.

How-to-do tutorials in T284
Scan the Castro book or browse the Lynda.com tutorials asking, "what haven't we done yet?"
Look at the linked sites on the Resources page
Do a Google search for topics that interest you. For the first unit project you would search for "XHTML CSS tutorial"
What topics have come up in your Questions of the Week that suggest learning more in a tutorial?

THEN... Log in to Lynda.com and find a lesson that addresses the topic of your curiosity.

Every project must begin with a written proposal. These short, written documents are always due one week before the project due date (see the class schedule for specifics). Proposals must have the following components:

Description of the tutorial (what topic(s) it covers)
Tutorial title and location within the Lynda.com library, for example:
Web Design > CSS Web Site Design > Layout > Creating a navbar from a List
Brief discussion of what you want to learn and what you intend to create in your "original version" of the tutorial (explain how the tutorial will allow you to design something new using techniques that are not yet part of your repertoire)

Your proposal should be sent as an e-mail message to your instructor (NO attachments PLEASE!). Storyboards (when appropriate) should be sketched on paper in color or black & white. Architecture diagrams (when appropriate) may be done on the computer or by hand. The completeness of your proposal will be reflected in the grade for each project.

How much is enough? See this example.

Unit Project tutorial guidelines
Following is a list of items—written and online—that must be turned in with every tutorial:

Completed tutorial (online): you will do a tutorial of your choice exactly as specified by the source. The final file should be linked from your T284 site
Completed "original version" (online): you will do your own version of the tutorial to create something new and original. For instance you could do a tutorial on XHTML forms and then create a new, original form that recruits members for an IU-related club or organization. This should also be linked from your T284 site.
A printed discussion of the tutorial experience (written): what difficulties did you encounter, what did you learn, how do you see this fitting into projects in the future? This should be a thoughtful analysis of the project that fills at least one entire page.
The tutorial title and location within the Lynda.com library (written), for example:
Web Design > CSS Web Site Design > Layout > Creating a navbar from a List

Tutorial projects will be evaluated on the following criteria

Technique & production: This includes correct XHTML, CSS, and JavaScript code; accurate completion of the tutorial, and quality of your craft.
Aesthetic considerations: This pertains to the "original version" of the tutorial. The expectation is that the work you produce follows the guidelines of usability and appropriate design practice as discussed in class. This includes visual hierarchy, thoughtful use of color and graphics, and other topically specific criteria.
Deliverables: You must turn in all written and online components to get full credit for the project.

Other things to keep in mind throughout the semester...
Constructive classroom involvement will be used to nudge a grade either up or down. For example, C+ to B- or A- to B+. Constructive classroom involvement includes attendance, constructive discussion, helping other students, and volunteering for demonstrations. Non-constructive involvement is anything which adversely disrupts the labs and/or non-attendance. This specifically includes working on class computers during times when the instructor is lecturing or students are making presentations. Students who insist on being disrespectful in this manner will have their grades lowered. The Lab involvement nudge is completely subjective and will only be used in borderline situations unless the Lab involvement is perceived to be non-constructive in which case the grade will automatically move downward. The bottom line: be respectful and do good work.

Grading
Your final grade will be calculated by dividing the total number of points you have earned by 2 (half). At any point during the semester you can calculate your grade by dividing the number of points you've earned by the number of possible points. Then, multiply that number by 100 to get your grade percentage. For instance if we've done one 5 point quiz and one 20 point critique the possible points are 25. If you scored 4 and 19 respectively, your total points are 23. Now, do the math: 23/25 = .92 * 100 = 92% You have earned an A-.

The following grade descriptions have been adapted from the grade definitions defined by student and faculty members of the Committee on Improvement of Instruction.

Grade	Percentage	Description
A+	100	Amazing performance; rarely ever happens.
A	96-100	Superior performance; student work goes far above and beyond requirements of the course; demonstrates a command of course material through an innovative and creative application of concepts; far exceeds course expectations.
A-	91-95	Excellent performance; student work goes far above and beyond requirements of the course; demonstrates a command of course material through an innovative and creative application of concepts.
B+	88-90	Very good performance; student work meets requirements and demonstrates creative or thoughtful application of course material; exceeds course expectations.
B	84-87	Solid work; student performance meets requirements and demonstrates a good understanding of course material.
B-	81-83	Above average; work that meets requirements and demonstrates better than average understanding of course material.
C+	78-80	Work that meets requirements and shows promise.
C	74-77	Work that meets all basic requirements.
C-	71-73	Work that meets requirements but is not especially polished or thoughtful.
D+	68-70	Below average work.
D	64-67	Below average work.
D-	60-63	Below average work.
F	< 60	Failing.